BEIJING — The Ministry of Civil Affairs stressed security on March 16 to ensure safety on Tomb-Sweeping Day which falls on April 5 this year.

Gao Xiaobing, deputy head of the ministry, asked civil affairs department to monitor key cemeteries in cooperation with other departments including public security, transport, forestry, work safety, city management, at a national televised conference.

Gao emphasized early warnings of traffic congestion and fire prevention, and called for well organized, green activities to avoid stampedes and fires.

During Tomb-sweeping Day, Chinese people pay respects to their ancestors and departed family members by setting symbolic objects alight. This can often result in fires in drought-hit areas.

Figures by the ministry showed that nearly 400 million people nationwide observe tomb-sweeping activities each year, and about 180 monitoring sites have been set up to tackle emergency.